'SLASH' The Album - Reviews

[jacdaniel]

we all know reviews means jack shit, this has nothing to do with my feelings towards this album

you'd be surprised though.  My bro is usually cautious about seeing movies if Empire gives it a bad review.

[uzisuicide2002]

I think this album has something in for everyone. More I jam to it more I like it. I think fergie has a great rock voice. There isn't any really good rock chicks out there. She works for me. 

[oldgunsfan]

some of these reviews seem to have been copied and pasted a few times over by different reviewers rather than someone actually listening to the record and writing a review of it; I must have read the same review from 4 pub's seperately-fucking lazy bastards

[FunkyMonkey]

411mania ? Music ? Album Reviews
 
Slash - Slash Review

Posted by Aaron Titan on 04.06.2010

The Album

Just to preface before I begin here, I?m only going to be reviewing the Standard Edition that?s being released here in the U.S. (and most of the globe from what I gathered on Wikipedia). There are other versions with other tracks on them that feature other artists you?ve heard of, such as Alice Cooper and Flea. You can actually peep out this album via AOL Music just like I did. Not sure how long this will stay up on that site, but I figure it?ll be there until release day and a few days afterwards.

OK, so I just got done listening to Slash?s solo album from start to finish. I?ve been reading and reporting about this thing for several months now (via my column here on 411Mania: The Music 3R?s) and it?s finally arrived. Most of you know the story behind the album here, but if not, essentially, Slash decided he wanted to have some fun and make a solo album.

Velvet Revolver has been stagnant for a really long time now, ever since the departure of vocalist Scott Wieland in 2008. Slash and company haven?t been able to find a proper vocalist to fill this vacancy despite their endless auditioning process. So now, he?s got the time to do this solo project he mentioned in his autobiography (read that shit if you haven?t yet!).

From what I read about this album, Slash wrote a bunch of music and guitar riffs and shopped them around to potential collaborators he thought would sound well on each track. If the artist bit, he brought them into the studio and they arranged and recorded the song. Think Santana?s Supernatural album, but like, heavier and without Rob Thomas.

The result itself was incredibly underwhelming considering the parties involved. On paper, this album looks pretty bitchin? overall, doesn?t it? I can honestly say that I was pumped after seeing the tracklisting and who was on each song. I?ve been a Gn?R fan since forever, dug Velvet Revolver?s first album, and like many of the artists Slash got on board for this project; however, overall, it just doesn?t cut the mustard.

I mean, you?ve got Slash and Ozzy doing a song together, which is cool and all, but it would?ve meant much more like, at least ten years ago when Ozzy hadn?t lost all the cred and respect he had left. The bigness of this collaboration just wasn?t there for me and ?Crucify the Dead? is just mediocre at best.

The Fergie song ?Beautiful Dangerous? sounds passable from a musical perspective. Slash?s riffing isn?t the problem at all. It?s just that you?ve got Fergie on there trying to be something she?s not: a rock singer. She?s a hip-hop Wack-Ass Peas singer and she?s going out of her way on this song to put some rock n? roll grit on her voice like she?s Lita Ford or something. It just doesn?t work and comes off pretty annoying, though I can see a lot of fans liking this song for whatever reason.

And fuck man, not that Kid Rock is that great of a vocalist to begin with, but how did Slash and his sound engineer sit there and master this album and not recognize that ?I Hold On? has the worst sounding vocals on the entire album? It?s really weak and gaspy at times and Kid Rock was capable of much more than that.

Also, you?ve got a lot of mediocrity on here in places you wouldn?t expect it. The Chris Cornell and Adam Levine tracks, ?Promise? and ?Gotten? respectively, while cool and interesting collaborations in theory, just don?t work and end up sounding like anything else on rock radio, which is where this album will undoubtedly find some decent success.

What did bum me out was that M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold didn?t come in and kill it on a track like I thought he would. ?Nothing to Say? ends up sounding like a B-side AX7 wannabe of a song in the end in every sense possible. I mean, I could see where you could make an argument that Synyster Gates, the lead guitarist of AX7, takes a lot of cues from Slash?s iconic playing and sound, but on this track I just felt like Slash was trying to play like Gates to accompany Shadows? singing, which isn?t necessary or even desirable on YOUR OWN SOLO ALBUM. I figured these two would be a killer pairing but it just wasn?t meant to be.

Thankfully, it?s not all just a basket of throwaways! The riff and vocals of the Ian Astbury- and Izzy Stradlin-feature track, ?Ghost,? are pretty saucy and fun. ?By the Sword,? the lead single off of the album, is in good graces with me too. It?s catchy and Andrew Stockdale of the mighty Wolfmother hasn?t been able to do wrong by this writer as of yet. ?Watch This? is a fun instrumental jam that features Dave Grohl on drums and Jane?s Addiction?s new bass player Duff McKagan on?well, the bass obviously. I could see this song being a key staple of Slash?s solo band?s set when he takes these tunes out on the road this year.

The standout track for me is ?Doctor Alibi? which features the godliness of Motorhead?s Lemmy Kilmeister. It?s just a fuckin? awesome, simple punked-up metal song that makes the rest of the corny poppiness that pervades the majority of the disc sound silly.

In the end though, I just don?t get a ?Slash experience.? Nothing about this album really makes me respect Slash anymore than I did, and I?ll go as far as saying I respect him a little less now. He?s trying to do too many styles here to accompany the myriad of guest spots rather than having those artists instead, adapt to a Slash album and make the whole affair more interesting and unique in that respect.

The 411: While there are a few decent tracks on the album, there's more 'meh' and way more garbage to make the disc salvageable. It's not that there's too much going on style-wise, but it just lacks any sense of the 'WOW' factor that Slash's playing had on past albums he's been a part of. Myles Kennedy should've just joined Velvet Revolver, since his two songs sound pretty decent and he's going to be Slash's touring vocalist anyways. All in all, the album looks good on paper, but unfortunately, we don't have paper in our ears.
 
Final Score:  5.5   [ Not So Good ]

http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/134710

[D]

that AP review is spot on. after the writer clearly documents their love fest for slash, they basically say the record is a huge disappointment.

the conclusion isn't a new one, it's what we have known for years...slash is one of the greatest guitar players, but he's not a great song writer. he needs an Axl (or other genius) to take his talents and frame them for him. end of story.

That is YOUR opinion and one i certainly don't agree with. I just bought it and am about halfway through and I personally think it kicks fucking ass.

This is rock n roll.. most reviewers are probably use to emo or this shit rock out today


U know the difference in Slash and most others?

with most bands, u go around singing the lyrics etc.

with Slash, i find myself going around all day singing the riffs and solos.


I've told this story before, but at work once November Rain came on

all day, i would hear my coworkers under their breath humming the solo... not the vocal melodies but all were humming the solo

that is why Slash stands the test of time.


Haven't listened to entire CD yet.. getting ready to take it to the gym but so far everything kicks ass except for Crucify The Dead... think it kind of drags and is boring

Ghost,By The Sword, Beautiful Dangerous and Back to Cali kick fucking ASS!

getting ready to listen to the rest while I lift and run in a few.

[Ali]

I agree that "Ghost" and "By The Sword" are very strong tracks, but "Beautiful Dangerous" to me is one that I find puzzling in terms of the adoration it gets.  It sounds like a stripper anthem, yes, I get that.  Fergie has a good rock and roll voice, no doubt.  But, frankly, I find it melodically unremarkable.  It's not a bad pop song, I suppose, but I think the collaborations with Ian Astbury and Andrew Stockdale are stronger.  Their melodies really compliment and enhance the music Slash crafted.

Ali

[Axlfanatic]

411mania ? Music ? Album Reviews
 
Slash - Slash Review

Posted by Aaron Titan on 04.06.2010

The Album

Just to preface before I begin here, I?m only going to be reviewing the Standard Edition that?s being released here in the U.S. (and most of the globe from what I gathered on Wikipedia). There are other versions with other tracks on them that feature other artists you?ve heard of, such as Alice Cooper and Flea. You can actually peep out this album via AOL Music just like I did. Not sure how long this will stay up on that site, but I figure it?ll be there until release day and a few days afterwards.

OK, so I just got done listening to Slash?s solo album from start to finish. I?ve been reading and reporting about this thing for several months now (via my column here on 411Mania: The Music 3R?s) and it?s finally arrived. Most of you know the story behind the album here, but if not, essentially, Slash decided he wanted to have some fun and make a solo album.

Velvet Revolver has been stagnant for a really long time now, ever since the departure of vocalist Scott Wieland in 2008. Slash and company haven?t been able to find a proper vocalist to fill this vacancy despite their endless auditioning process. So now, he?s got the time to do this solo project he mentioned in his autobiography (read that shit if you haven?t yet!).

From what I read about this album, Slash wrote a bunch of music and guitar riffs and shopped them around to potential collaborators he thought would sound well on each track. If the artist bit, he brought them into the studio and they arranged and recorded the song. Think Santana?s Supernatural album, but like, heavier and without Rob Thomas.

The result itself was incredibly underwhelming considering the parties involved. On paper, this album looks pretty bitchin? overall, doesn?t it? I can honestly say that I was pumped after seeing the tracklisting and who was on each song. I?ve been a Gn?R fan since forever, dug Velvet Revolver?s first album, and like many of the artists Slash got on board for this project; however, overall, it just doesn?t cut the mustard.

I mean, you?ve got Slash and Ozzy doing a song together, which is cool and all, but it would?ve meant much more like, at least ten years ago when Ozzy hadn?t lost all the cred and respect he had left. The bigness of this collaboration just wasn?t there for me and ?Crucify the Dead? is just mediocre at best.

The Fergie song ?Beautiful Dangerous? sounds passable from a musical perspective. Slash?s riffing isn?t the problem at all. It?s just that you?ve got Fergie on there trying to be something she?s not: a rock singer. She?s a hip-hop Wack-Ass Peas singer and she?s going out of her way on this song to put some rock n? roll grit on her voice like she?s Lita Ford or something. It just doesn?t work and comes off pretty annoying, though I can see a lot of fans liking this song for whatever reason.

And fuck man, not that Kid Rock is that great of a vocalist to begin with, but how did Slash and his sound engineer sit there and master this album and not recognize that ?I Hold On? has the worst sounding vocals on the entire album? It?s really weak and gaspy at times and Kid Rock was capable of much more than that.

Also, you?ve got a lot of mediocrity on here in places you wouldn?t expect it. The Chris Cornell and Adam Levine tracks, ?Promise? and ?Gotten? respectively, while cool and interesting collaborations in theory, just don?t work and end up sounding like anything else on rock radio, which is where this album will undoubtedly find some decent success.

What did bum me out was that M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold didn?t come in and kill it on a track like I thought he would. ?Nothing to Say? ends up sounding like a B-side AX7 wannabe of a song in the end in every sense possible. I mean, I could see where you could make an argument that Synyster Gates, the lead guitarist of AX7, takes a lot of cues from Slash?s iconic playing and sound, but on this track I just felt like Slash was trying to play like Gates to accompany Shadows? singing, which isn?t necessary or even desirable on YOUR OWN SOLO ALBUM. I figured these two would be a killer pairing but it just wasn?t meant to be.

Thankfully, it?s not all just a basket of throwaways! The riff and vocals of the Ian Astbury- and Izzy Stradlin-feature track, ?Ghost,? are pretty saucy and fun. ?By the Sword,? the lead single off of the album, is in good graces with me too. It?s catchy and Andrew Stockdale of the mighty Wolfmother hasn?t been able to do wrong by this writer as of yet. ?Watch This? is a fun instrumental jam that features Dave Grohl on drums and Jane?s Addiction?s new bass player Duff McKagan on?well, the bass obviously. I could see this song being a key staple of Slash?s solo band?s set when he takes these tunes out on the road this year.

The standout track for me is ?Doctor Alibi? which features the godliness of Motorhead?s Lemmy Kilmeister. It?s just a fuckin? awesome, simple punked-up metal song that makes the rest of the corny poppiness that pervades the majority of the disc sound silly.

In the end though, I just don?t get a ?Slash experience.? Nothing about this album really makes me respect Slash anymore than I did, and I?ll go as far as saying I respect him a little less now. He?s trying to do too many styles here to accompany the myriad of guest spots rather than having those artists instead, adapt to a Slash album and make the whole affair more interesting and unique in that respect.

The 411: While there are a few decent tracks on the album, there's more 'meh' and way more garbage to make the disc salvageable. It's not that there's too much going on style-wise, but it just lacks any sense of the 'WOW' factor that Slash's playing had on past albums he's been a part of. Myles Kennedy should've just joined Velvet Revolver, since his two songs sound pretty decent and he's going to be Slash's touring vocalist anyways. All in all, the album looks good on paper, but unfortunately, we don't have paper in our ears.
 
Final Score:  5.5   [ Not So Good ]

http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/134710

after hearing the CD several times, This review is dead on.

Bottom line: about %30-40 is hard rocking woth killer riffage from SLASH

%60-%70 is wimpy to slightly medicre & entirely forgettable.



To bad, cause I was hoping to crank the shit out of this CD to buy some time until GNR tours the US- i just don't think 4-5 songs is gonna last me that long!

[Smoking Guns]

An album with 4 good songs on it is pretty fucking good these days....  Back from Cali cranked in the car fucking rocks!

[D]

Ok. I have listened a few times to the album now while running,lifting,walking etc and here is my review right now.. of course its subject to change the more i listen as usually it takes awhile for me to truly gauge an albums greatness


1.Ghost: WOW what a fucking riff and song. I absolutely love this song and jam the fuck out of it. Izzy and Slash's guitar play is just legendary and they've lost nothing here... makes me want to hear the great shelved GNR album they recorded before CB. 9/10

2.Crucify The Dead: Music is cool, but the song is pretty terrible.. i am already skipping it when it comes on.. bad sign.. 5/10

3. Beautiful Dangerous: sounds like it will be a nice radio hit. Reminds me of the Super Bowl when Britney sang or whatever u want to call it Walk This Way with Aerosmith. it has its moments and is very solid 8/10

4. Back to Cali: holy shit this song kicks ass! Wasn't a fan of Myles Kennedy before this, but this song absolutely delivers. 9/10

5. Promise: This song has a very weird intro into the heavy part... sounds like a totally different song got accidentally overdubbed......... so kind of a weird transition. Ive never been a big Cornell fan but this song is great! his voice sounds amazing over Slash's playing. 8/10

6.By The Sword. Everyone knows how I feel about this song. Simply amazing.. sounds like its been a classic song for 30 years. This and "If The World" are very similar in that regard as both sound classic and all time great to my ears: 10/10

7.Gotten: I am a huge Bon Jovi fan, and I am a huge ballad fan... reviewers saying Slash was going for NR are just idiots. to me this is kinda like Fall To Pieces. not quite as good but I think its a damn good ballad. 8/10

8.Doctor Alibi: Raw and awesome 8/10

9.Watch This: never been an instrumental fan......... 7/10

10. I Hold On: I like it, kinda sounds like a B Side from Rock N Roll Jesus though.......... but it is very solid 8/10

11. Nothing to Say: now we are talking, this song fucking SLAMS and kicks ass out of the speakers. Hearing Slash out of his comfort zone is something I want to hear more of. 9/10

12.Starlight: Myles once again wins me over with this song. Not great but very solid and good 8/10

13. Saint Is A Sinner too: I hate it... I think he shouldve stopped with 12 songs 5/10

14.  We're all gonna die: retarded lyrics but its kinda fun to listen to  6.5/10


111.5/140

overall 8/10

[MrMojoRa]

Slash,

I love it!

kev money

[FunkyMonkey]

From the Los Angeles Times:

"Slash"

Two stars (Out of four)

Album review: Slash's solo album

On Slash's first solo album the most faithful approximation of the classic Guns N' Roses sound doesn't come in the track featuring Ozzy Osbourne or the one with Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows. Nor is it in "Watch This," which includes input from another ex-GNR member, Duff McKagan. Rather, it's "Beautiful Dangerous" that comes closest to old hits like "Welcome to the Jungle" and "You Could Be Mine."

The guest vocalist on that cut? Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas.

Slash's recruitment of such a heavy-metal outlier illustrates his determination to find a replacement for Axl Rose, whose paranoid whinny so perfectly complemented the guitarist's arsenal of trashy glam-blues riffs. You can look at the 14 all-star collaborations on "Slash" as evidence of his impressive Rolodex, or you can view them as a series of creative tryouts -- musical speed dating in search of a new Mr. (or Ms.) Right.

Team-ups with Ian Astbury ("Ghost"), Chris Cornell ("Promise") and Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale ("By the Sword") produce familiar sparks but die out quickly.

And a ballad with Adam Levine of Maroon 5, "Gotten," aims for "November Rain" but ends up pretty soggy.

Slash seems more energized in "Doctor Alibi," a brainless fist-pumper with Mot?rhead maestro Lemmy Kilmister, and "We're All Gonna Die," in which Iggy Pop up offers some of the cheerful nihilism that originally inspired Rose.

-- Mikael Wood

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2010/04/album-review-slashs-solo-album.html

[D]

What kind of online degree do u have to have to be a fucking music critic?

Comparing "Gotten" in any way to NR just shows what a complete idiot this dude is

Gotten is in no way trying to be NR.. it has absolutely nothing in common with NR, there aren't even any orchestras or anything plus it isn't 8 minutes long

just ignorant shit


I don't mind bad reviews with any band i like as long as they are fair, but this is just ridiculous.

[Bodhi]

What kind of online degree do u have to have to be a fucking music critic?

Comparing "Gotten" in any way to NR just shows what a complete idiot this dude is

Gotten is in no way trying to be NR.. it has absolutely nothing in common with NR, there aren't even any orchestras or anything plus it isn't 8 minutes long

just ignorant shit


I don't mind bad reviews with any band i like as long as they are fair, but this is just ridiculous.

I agree..its seems as though anything Slash or the ex members does is "aiming" to be a certain song from their past.  Which it clearly isnt.

[Bodhi]

"Slash's new self-titled solo album features Ozzy Osbourne, Fergie and Avenged Sevenfold." ? Album review
 
The most anticipated album of 2010, for me, was Slash?s new solo album. I have been following Slash on Twitter: (http://twitter.com/Slash) since last summer. With each update that he gave I got more and more excited about this album dropping and today it is finally here. The album, simply called ?Slash? features a wide variety of singers from Ozzy Osbourne to Fergie and literally everybody in between. I picked up the album today and let me just say that the album doesn?t disappoint.

It?s hard to know what to expect from Slash. With Guns n Roses the ?Use Your Illusion? albums were a lot different than ?Appetite for Destruction.? ?Appetite? was more blues based rock while ?Illusions? had more epic sounding songs. Velvet Revolver is more of a straight ahead rock band, much like Stone Temple Pilots. I wasn?t sure what this album was going to sound like.

So what does the album sound like? Honestly it depends on who?s singing or playing on the song. The first track features Guns alum Izzy Stradlin and Cult front man Ian Astbury. The song is entitled ?Ghost? and it kicks off with your typical Slash riff. It?s a riff kind of like ?Sweet Child O? Mine? with Izzy filling in the rhythm parts?much like on ?Sweet Child O? Mine.? ?Ghost? is the closest thing to a Guns song on the album, but with Ian Astbury singing, it has its own feel to it.

The second song on the album is called ?Crucify the Dead? and Ozzy Osbourne takes the lead vocal role. This was going to be the first single, but Ozzy has a new album coming out and Slash decided that it?s best if he not make this a single, because people would probably assume it?s on the new Ozzy album when it?s not. ?Crucify the Dead? sounds like an Ozzy song. You wouldn?t know Slash played on it except for that it?s Slash?s album.

Up third is Fergie with ?Beautiful Dangerous.? I think this will be the song where Slash may lose some people (or where Fergie will gain some fans). Personally I love the song. It definitely rocks. The guitar playing is great as it is on all the songs and Fergie nails the song, but some people will never give this song a chance because it?s Fergie; others will be pleasantly surprised. She kind of reminds me of Alanis Morissette if she were more upbeat.

Alter Bridge?s Myles Kennedy gets two songs on the album. He also gets to be the front man on the tour supporting the album. Myles can sing anything. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were considering hiring Myles as front man of Led Zeppelin to replace Robert Plant for a tour, but that fell through. Velvet Revolver even approached Myles, but he was too loyal to Alter Bridge (Alter Bridge features everybody from Creed except Scott Stapp? thank God). I love Alter Bridge and I can?t wait to see Myles with Slash live.

The first single on the album is ?By the Sword? featuring Andrew Stockdale from Wolfmother (you know the band that sings ?Woman,? believe me you?ve heard it a million times, I?d sing it for you, but I?m typing). ?By the Sword? is probably the strongest song on the album. I love Wolfmother; they sound like Deep Purple, Led Zepplin, Yes, Jethro Tull and Black Sabbath combined into one band. ?By the Sword? is no different. You?d have thought Slash wrote this song for them. It has more of an epic feel to it than the other songs on the album, but again the guitar is just phenomenal. I love the tone he has on this song.

The heavily anticipated metal song on the album, ?Nothing to Say? featuring M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold is very much that, a metal song. M. Shadows is the perfect guy for the song too. I?ve always looked at Avenged Sevenfold as a combination of Metallica, Guns n Roses and Good Charlotte and because of that I think he?s a good fit for this song. It?s definitely the heaviest song I?ve ever heard from Slash, but it?s not Slayer heavy. It?s a good song and it?s a lot of fun to listen to Slash play heavy metal.


By The Sword (Feat. Andrew Sto...


There are so many special guests on the album that I can?t go into all of them. Other guest include Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave), Adam Levine (Maroon 5), Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), Kid Rock (Bob Ritchie), Rocca DeLuca, Iggy Pop (The Stooges), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Steven Adler (Guns n Roses), Duff McKagan and more.

What?s bad? You?re asking the wrong guy. I love Slash and I love this album. I suppose I would say the songs I like least are ?Gotten? featuring Adam Levine and ?I Hold On? featuring Kid Rock, but I like both of those songs. I realize that I?m biased since I?m a big Slash fan, but this album really is great. There is a something on this album for everybody too.

What?s good? Slash does such a great job of making each song belong to the singer. This isn?t a Guns n Roses or Velvet Revolver album; this is a very eclectic album with wide ranges of talent. There are living legends like Iggy Pop, Ozzy and Lemmy, pop stars like Fergie and Adam Levine and everybody in between. You also get to hear Slash playing with Izzy again on a song, as well as a bunch of musical talent. Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan play drums and bass on the instrumental track ?Watch This.? Steven Adler even plays drums on a track. I really enjoy this album and highly recommend picking it up.

[MrMojoRa]

Fuck the critics.

I don't need their opinions.

I got my own.

[D]

Its a can't win situation

he branches out and does something new and he is "selling out"

but yet if he cranks out the blues riffs he is "tired and doing the same ole shit, not evolving"

so fuck it

[Bridge]

Personally, I get sick of all this "Slash is still trying to find a singer to take the place of Axl Rose" crap.

Indeed, fuck the critics.  In my long history of buying records, I've never once bought one (or declined to buy one) because of a critical review.


Anyway, now that I've got the CD, I've been downloading and listening to the songs that are on the international releases.  I'm still trying to find the song "Baby Can't Drive", which features Steven Adler, Alice Cooper, Flea, and Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls.

[oldgunsfan]

Personally, I get sick of all this "Slash is still trying to find a singer to take the place of Axl Rose" crap.

Indeed, fuck the critics.  In my long history of buying records, I've never once bought one (or declined to buy one) because of a critical review.


Anyway, now that I've got the CD, I've been downloading and listening to the songs that are on the international releases.  I'm still trying to find the song "Baby Can't Drive", which features Steven Adler, Alice Cooper, Flea, and Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls.

yeah the reviews I've read seam to be written by GnR fans that want him to outdo AFD and UYI; alot of the "complaints" I've heard from reviewers was slash didn't write an album that sounds like typical slash and was actually a bit of departure for him;

personally I love it and am glad I didn't stream the whole thing and left half of it to be heard after the official album release; now to track down those bonus tracks

[COMAMOTIVE]

Saw Slash and Stockdale on Leno last night playing "By the Sword" - it sounded incredible

Haven't heard the album yet, but this song definitely does it for me

[FunkyMonkey]

From the NY Daily News:

'Slash'

Slash's brilliant guitar work takes a backseat to showy collaborations on his first solo album

JIM FARBER

Wednesday, April 7th 2010

Slash's first official solo album has the feel of a Facebook page.

The guitarist filled it with just about every well-connected "friend" he ever met or heard of, forging a virtual who's who of heavy metal and hard rock. Turning up to squawk and preen on the CD are everyone from Ozzy and Lemmy to Kid Rock and Iggy Pop.

If Slash sent any "friend requests" to the singers most famously associated with him - Axl Rose or Scott Weiland - they went unanswered. Neither big mouth turned up.

Theoretically, Slash could have settled on a sole fresh shouter to front this project. But he already did that on his woeful band Snakepit. Instead he went this more showy and needy route.

As you'd expect from a project with so many egos in play, it isn't big on coherence. Then again, what's a guy blessed with Slash's particular talents and limitations to do?

Like Johnny Marr after the demise of The Smiths, Slash has wandered through a kind of journeyman's exile ever since the end of his one, great band - the original Guns N Roses - back in 1996.

Though his other longest lasting group, Velvet Revolver, put out two studio albums and endured six years together, they always seemed like a jerrybuilt project - like some lucrative, but tedious, time-filler.

Instead of going through that headache again, Slash choose a project that would both allow him to retain control and to reap the p.r. benefits of all the starry names involved. Hey, it worked for Santana on "Supernatural."

It hasn't worked quite that way here.

Make no mistake: Slash's driving solos dazzle throughout.

And the album does include a few collaborations that click. Lemmy attacks the guitarist's riff in "Doctor Alibi" with his delightfully satiric level of savagery. Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale conjures a convincing, "I-Am-A-Golden-God" Robert Plant impersonation on the single, "By The Sword." And Chris Cornell's erotic snarl pairs so well with the star's chunky riffs in "Promise," it suggests he might have started a worthy group with Slash had he not already agreed to reform his classic band, Soundgarden, this summer.

Most of the other collaborations seem merely hypothetical - like daydreams from metal heads better left to the realm of fantasy. Some of them prove outright laughable, including Fergie performing in guitar drag for "Beautiful Dangerous" or the cameo by Adam Levine from Maroon 5, which reeks of wimp tokenism.

Ironically, the track that works best offers no guest vocalist at all.

"Watch This: reunites Slash with GNR alum Duff, and adds Dave Grohl on drums, to create a teeth-melting instrumental. The result proves that Slash could have gone the Jeff Beck route, letting his brilliant guitar work assume the fullness of a human voice for an entire CD.

One day let's hope he works up the nerve to do so.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/04/07/2010-04-07_slashs_brilliant_guitar_work_takes_a_backseat_to_showy_collaborations_on_his_fir.html